License-number-plate holder



Sept. 23, 1930. WI 1,776,618

LICENSE NUMBER PLATE HOLDER Filed March 10, 1950 INVENTOR ATTORNEY.

lit

Patented Sept. 23, 1930 UNITED STATES BERNARD onanwro'x,

PATENT OFFICE 4 OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO MYER KAUFFMAN, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK LIoENsE-nuniann-rmra norm-2a Application filed March 10, 1939. Serial No. 434,778.

This invention relates to a holder for license number plates, and the like, and has for its object to provide a frame consisting of front and rear members, which are arranged to telescope each other and to clamp therebetween the number plate, the rear member or base being arranged to be permanently mounted upon an automobile, the front member being detachable and havlng a clear opening to expose the license numbers or other indicia. A further obJect is to provide complementary means for inter-locking the principal members of the holder and to facilitate quick applying and removing of the number plates without the use of any tools. And a further object is to provide means toprevent rattling or chattering of the members and number plate, due to the vibrations of the automobile.

ll attain these objects by the means set forth in the detailed description which follows, and as illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the complete holder. Fig. 2 is a bottom edge view of the same. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the holder. Fig. 4 is a top edge View of the same. Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a rear face view of the base. Fig. 7 is a bottom edge view of the base and number plate. Fig. 8 is a broken enlargement of the lower portion of Fig. 5, showing the tension latching means. And Fig. 9 is a broken elevation f a modified front member, showing an 1ntegral upright lug or ear to support a ta1l light.

In the drawings, 2 and 3 represent respectively the front and rear members of the holder, and 4 represents an ordinary license number plate, common to automoblles, WlllCll is arranged to be clamped between sa1d members, as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 5. The rear member or base 3, may be mounted permanently upon any suitable support, as a bracket (1, by means of bolts 5, whose heads 5' are disposed in a longitudinal rearwardly facing hollow rib 3', which extends across the top portion of the base and is preferably formed with slots 3 to enable the holder to be readily mounted upon supports of different breadth. The heads of the bolts 5 are preferably square and substantially conform to the angular concave of the rib 3' and hold the bolts from rotation. Washers 5*, shown in Fig. 5, having square openings to receive the angular shanks of the bolts. tend to hold the bolts at right angles to the plane of the base 3. The top edge of member 3 extends beyond the rib 3 and constitutes a lip 3 The bottom edge of member 3 is formed with a horizontal rearwardly facing flange 3 which is broken medially and folded upon the front face of said member to provide a lip or clip, as 3, that grips the bottom edge of'the plate 4: (see Figs. 3, 5 and 7). The normal flange sections 3, are perforated as at 3 to receive latch bolts 6, by which lower edges of the base and member 2 may be locked to each other. The bolts 6 are preferably l.- shaped to facilitate manipulation thereof, and are partially rotatable in bearings 3, that maybe struck out of the web of member 3. Bolts 6, between the flange 3 and the bearings 3, are fitted with coil tension springs 6', whose top ends engage the hearing loops 3 While their bottom ends are disposed in perforations 6 and tend to hold the bolts in the extended or locking positions, shown in Figs. 3. 5 and 8.

.The front member 2 is in the form of a continuous rim 2, which provides a relatively large opening 2" for exposing the number plate 4, the said plate being longer and wider than said opening and its marginal portions being over-lapped by said rim. The rim 2 is bent or rolled rearwardly, as at 2*, thereby forming a shallow pan to receive and confine the number plate 4, the top portion of the rim being folded inwardly parallel to the front face to provide a relativelylong hook 2 that over-laps the lip 3 of the base and effects the inter-locking of the tops of the two members, as best seen in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. The bottom edge ofmember 2 is formed with a rearwardly facing flange 2, which parallels and loosely engages the flange 3, and is formed with registering perforations to receive the bolts 6, as shownin Figs. 3, 5 and 8. By this construction and arrange-.

ment, the base 3 nests in the member 2 and grips and clamps the end and bottom edges of the number plate 4, as best seen in Fig. 5. For this purpose, the ends of base 3 are bent forwardly to form lips, as 3", that normally space the base from the member 2 substantially the thickness of the number plate (see Fig. 7). The lips 3" telescope the end flanges 2 of the rim, and prevent independent longitudinal movement of the members 23, as well as the number plate 4. lVhen member 2 is applied to member 3, the top fold 2 of the rim is first hooked over the lip 3, and the said member is then swung bodily towards the base until the flanges E -3 become over-lapped suflioiently to bring their perforations into registry and enable the bolts 6 to snap into the locking positions. as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. In order to hold the number plate 4, as well as the members 2-3 rigid, to prevent rattling or chattering of said parts, the web of member 3 is formed with a central longitudinal bulge, as 3*, which engages and exerts pressure against the medial portion of the number plate when the members finally are interlocked, as may be understood by consulting Fig. 5.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, is-

1. A license number plate holder, comprising a substantially plane metal base adapted to be permanently secured to an automobile, the top edge of said base comprising a lip, the bottom of said base being formed with a rearwardly facing flange having spaced perforations, a front member comprising a continuous rim that forms an opening to expose the numbers and other indicia of the license plate when the latter is disposed between said member and said base, the top of the rim being formed with a hook adapted to engage the lip of the base, thebottom of said rim being formed with a perforated flange that embraces the flange of the base, and latch bolts adapted to engage the perforations of said flange to inter-lock and cause the rim and base to grip the number plate.

2. In a license plate holder for automobiles, a front member comprising a continuous rim adapted to over-lie a license plate, and forming an opening to expose the numbers and other indicia of the plate, the top of said rim being formed with a hook, a rear member adapted to over-lie the rear face of the license plate and to be permanently secured to an automobile, the top margin of said rear member adapted to be gripped by said hook, the bottom margin of the rear member being formed with a perforated flange and a clip to grip the bottom edge of the number plate, the bottom margin of the front member being formed with similar flange having coinciding perforations, latch bolts carried by the rear member adapted to engage said perforations to inter-lock and cause said members to clamp the number plate, and said rear member being formed with a longitudinal bulge adapted to engage and exert pressure against the number plate to prevent chattering of the assembled holder.

3. A license number plate holder comprising telescoping front and rear rectangular members adapted to receive therebetween a number plate, the rear member adapted to be permanently secured to an automobile, the top edge of the rear member comprising a lip, the ends of the rear member being bent forwardly to overlap the ends of the number plate, the bottom edge of the rear member being formed with a perforated flange and a clip to grip the bottom edge of the number plate, the front member comprising a continuous rim having an opening to expose the numbers of said plate and having a hook to grip the lip of the rear member, the top, end and bottom margins of the rim being bent rearwardly to form a shallow pan, in which the number plate and rear member nest, the bottom margin of the rim adapted to over-lap the flange of the rear member, and having coinciding perforations, a pair of latch bolts carried by the rear member adapted to engage the perforations of said flanges to inter-lock the bottom edges of said members, and means engaging the medial portion of the number plate to prevent chattering of the parts.

4. A license number plate holder comprising two substantially plane members adapted to telescope each other and to enclose therebetween a license number plate, the front member comprising a continuous rim having an opening to expose the numbers and other indicia of said plate, the rear member adapted to be permanently secured to parts of an automobile and having its ends formed with lips adapted to loosely grip the ends of the number plate, the top, bottom and end margins of the front member being bent rearwardly to provide a shallow cavity to receive the rear member and the license plate, the top of the front member being formed with a hook adapted to grip the top edge of the rear member, the bottom margin of the rear member being formed with a perforated flange, the correspondingly bent portion of front member being formed with coinciding perforations, and bolts adapted to engage said perforations to inter-lock the bottom margins of said members.

5. In a license number plate holder, a shallow pan-like front member adapted to house a number plate and'having an opening to expose the numbers of said plate, the top of said front member being formed with a hook, a substantially plane base adapted to be permanently secured to an automobile nil l and to nest in said front member, the top of the base adapted to be engaged by said hook, said base having a clip adapted to grip the bottom edge of the number plate, and having lips formed at its opposite ends to prevent longitudinal movement of said plate, the bottom edges of said member and base being-formed with similar rearwardly facing flanges having coinciding perforations, tension-controlled latch bolts carried by the rear member adapted to engage said perforations to interlock said edges, and said rear member being formed with 2. iongitudinal hollow slotted rib adapted to adjnstably support a number of holder securmg bolts.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

BERNARD CHADWICK. 

